Archive for the ‘Press & Reviews’ Category

The designer/writer Gail Anderson wrote a wonderful profile of The Mystery Spot in IMPRINT, PRINT Magazine’s design blog. It’s chock full of fantastic photos of The Spot and Phoenicia. What a nice way to start off the new season!

We think so! And so does Budget Travel Magazine, as we’re on their short list of America’s Coolest Small Towns. Check out the extra-cool shout-out to the Mystery Spot, and then go to this link and vote for us!

Phoenicia, N.Y. (Pop. 388)

Two and a half hours north of New York City, this tiny town in the Catskill Mountains is a smaller version of nearby Woodstock: quiet and rural, with a hippie vibe and an artsy edge. Phoenicia’s main drag is humbled by panoramic views of the magnificent 286,000-acre Catskill Forest Preserve, but surprisingly trendy stores line the street, like Mystery Spot Antiques—packed with vintage clothing, out-of-print books, and quirky housewares—and the Arts Upstairs, a seven-room gallery of original works, often by local artists. Thanks to a wealth of ex-Manhattanites who settled here a decade ago, Phoenicia has plenty of quality restaurants. Sweet Sue’s may look like a regular diner, but the line of locals out the door should tip you off: The brunch menu includes renowned home fries and 25 types of pancakes, like pumpkin, mixed berry, and even carrot.

The Kingston Daily Freeman ran a nifty front-page feature in their weekend Life section on Mystery Spot Antiques and our upcoming Music for Front Porches concert series. Many thanks to reporter Ann Gibbons and photographer Tania Barricklo.There are seven rooms filled with covetable “stuff” — several exclusively of vintage clothing, a room filled with records, another of curated antiquarian and collectors’ books, a rusticalia section and a plasticalia section. Don’t ask — you must see for yourself. It’s just great fun.- Kingston Daily Freeman

The very cool Watershed Post gave a nice shout-out to our front porch music series, with this insightful (and yes, somewhat true) little caveat:The whole performance is just bait, of course, to lure you into the vintagey maw of the Mystery Spot itself, where the largest concentration of knicknacks and de-mothballed treasures in Phoenicia lies in wait. – Watershed Post

Photo of the Mystery Spot sign from Field Guide 25/Darbie.

Scoping online, we found a fun tour of Phoenicia and mini-review of the Mystery Spot on Field Guide 35:One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE vintage stores. This place is jam packed with all kinds of gems. Clothes, records, books, housewares, collectibles, oddities(?)….pretty much anything and everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s all curated by proprietress Laura Levine who clearly has an eye for the amazing…and the…umm…unusual. But no description of mine is going to do this place justice. You have to go see it for yourself. And while you’re there give my regards to Petey the Piranha. - Field Guide 35.